# Best Balkan, Oriental and English Blends (not flake)



## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

The masterpieces are flakeless...  Please accept my offerings fwiw. 

#3. Rattrays Red Rapparee - an oriental labeled on the tin "English." Smoke it in an oriental-designated pipe or miss the beauty in the 2nd half of the bowl. Very, very nice.

#2. Smokers Haven 20th Anniversary Imported. Big can and pricey at $30-something. If you buy a can on my advice and hate it then you really didn't like english blends in the first place. Perfect cut, perfect burn and a sweet flavor to appreciate wanders in and out as the pipe progresses. Smoke in an english designated pipe. Produced by Germain and branded for Smokers Haven. A stunner - worth the $$$.

and... ta DA!

#1. Comptons of Galashiels (Canada) Macedonia Mixture. Smoked in an oriental-only designated pipe this blend comes as close to old Balkan Sobranie as anything I know. Each bowl has ethereal moments of yenidje woven through a fine mesh of medium-dark virginias and latakia. Jeez... if only it was $6.95/pouch. Max nailed this one down like a master. The pouch, by the way, is eternal.

Good orientals, flake or otherwise can be spectacular but their magic is easily lost in the roar of latakia ghosts. Find a meer or the right briar and set it aside for this family.


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## Royale Duke (Aug 14, 2009)

I'm curious, where do you get that compton's stuff anyway?


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Royale Duke said:


> I'm curious, where do you get that compton's stuff anyway?





> www.cubancigars4u.com/blends.htm


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

Some of my favorites:

Frog Morton Across the Pond - McClelland
Westminster - Pease
Odyssey - Pease


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

I'm so shocked to see Mr Moo posting again I just can't think of any at the moment :high5: :high5: :high5:


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## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

Compton's is excellent and quite a complex Balkan. I can't confidently rank it as I've only had a single bowl.

Westminster is just about the best English I've ever had -- though it nearly loses its fourth star for sub par burning characteristics. Now that My technique is pretty much perfected though, I have far fewer relights with it.

Honestly, I've tired a bit on Englishes and Balkans, and have been smoking a lot more similarly blended mixtures that contain a little cigar leaf. I wasn't looking for cigar-in-a-pipe, and I didn't find one, but it really adds a entire layer of flavor and complexity that compliments what would otherwise be an English or Balkan.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

drastic_quench said:


> Compton's is excellent and quite a complex Balkan. I can't confidently rank it as I've only had a single bowl...


Comptons Balkan blend is quite good but latakia heavy like many others; I didn't include this in my top three. Their Macedonian Mixture sings oriental like nothing else. I cannot overstate how a clean (or dedicated) oriental pipe made a difference with this tobak. It smoked deader than a doornail in my english pipes.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Mad Hatter said:


> I'm so shocked to see Mr Moo posting again I just can't think of any at the moment :high5: :high5: :high5:


It happens. rlaliberty's thread on latakia flakes inspired me. After trashing someones espresso dreams in the coffee forum I felt I should post something a little more upbeat.


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## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> Comptons Balkan blend is quite good but latakia heavy like many others; I didn't include this in my top three. Their Macedonian Mixture sings oriental like nothing else. I cannot overstate how a clean (or dedicated) oriental pipe made a difference with this tobak. It smoked deader than a doornail in my english pipes.


How about a meer? eep:


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## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> Comptons Balkan blend is quite good but latakia heavy like many others; I didn't include this in my top three. Their Macedonian Mixture sings oriental like nothing else. I cannot overstate how a clean (or dedicated) oriental pipe made a difference with this tobak. It smoked deader than a doornail in my english pipes.


Oops. I meant Macedonian.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

drastic_quench said:


> Oops. I meant Macedonian.


Rookie.


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

Y'know, I'm really out on latakia blends. I really can't tolerate even the slightest little bit of it


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Jack Straw said:


> How about a meer? eep:


This is getting into "different strokes" country, Jack-o, I am am certainly not the final word on what's what but here's my take.

1. I love my meer for travel and taste-testing anything new. It reads pretty clear on what the blend is. The clear read is a good thing sometimes. A meer is my idea of a good pipe for sussing out nuanced tobaks - especially orientals.

2. While hopping through a variety of english tobaccos over the years (in a variety of pipes) I mostly missed the brilliance of good oriental blends because the sweet notes are easily covered by strong residual latakia flavors.

3. After reading so many stellar reports of Rattrays Red Rapparee, something whose magic had evaded me, I went on an oriental discovery campaign starting with a well-scraped meer and Red Rap. It showed well but, when moved to some english-dedicated briars, it keeled over.

4. Several briars later I gave up and re-began with a cleaned out pipe dedicated strictly to orientals. Presto.

Conclusion, Oriental (for me): a clean meer is better than a latakia-ghosted briar or a cob; the right oriental-only briar is better than a meer.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Mad Hatter said:


> Y'know, I'm really out on latakia blends. I really can't tolerate even the slightest little bit of it


Rookie.

Even Squadron Leader, Joe?


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## WWhermit (Nov 30, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> Rookie.


Here goes Mr. Moo again.

WWhermit
ipe:


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Jack Straw said:


> How about a meer? eep:


IMHO, you should test in a meer every blend you think you don't like in a briar. Red Rap's brawnier cousin, Black Mallory, was a blend I thought I hated. After smoking it in a meer, it's now one of my faves. The meer brings out the subtle oriental notes rather than just the heavier latakia.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> If you buy a can on my advice and hate it then you really didn't like english blends in the first place.


LOL! I just heard a similar comment from two people regarding my lukewarm reception of Pease's Union Square. Apparently I do not like straight virginias, never mind the fact that I smoke them regularly and have about 16 pounds of various ones in my cellar. :mrgreen:

That said, I'm buying a can on your advice, since I've never smoked it. What the hell, you nailed #'s 1 and 3, I may as well trust you on #2. And no, I don't mean that like it reads.


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

Mister Moo said:


> Rookie.
> 
> Even Squadron Leader, Joe?


Y'know Moo, even back when I loved, loved, loved VA/latakia blends I didn't like the Squadron Leader, Red Raparee english style tobaccos. I still have some left over Balkan Flake and Navy Flake that never see action but on the rare occasion that I want a latakia smoke I turn to FMATP or SG Skiff Mixture


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## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

The reason I mentioned the meer is that I smoked a bowl (my first) of this compton's macedonian out of a small bowled meer last night. It was amazing. I had been off latakia for a while, smoking mostly vas, vapers, and burleys, so I don't even have an oriental dedicated pipe. But this stuff is _good_. Time to embark on an oriental journey with my newest briar in tow, methinks.


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## Patrykk (Dec 17, 2009)

IMHO, Black Mallory is a great english blend, maybe not pure but still very enjoyable. My all day smoker. And not in flake.


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## bkeske (Oct 28, 2009)

My favorites:

Brebbia Balkan

Balkan Supreme

Charing Cross


....many more to try....


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

dmkerr said:


> LOL! I just heard a similar comment from two people regarding my lukewarm reception of Pease's Union Square. Apparently I do not like straight virginias, never mind the fact that I smoke them regularly and have about 16 pounds of various ones in my cellar. :mrgreen:
> 
> That said, I'm buying a can on your advice, since I've never smoked it. What the hell, you nailed #'s 1 and 3, I may as well trust you on #2. And no, I don't mean that like it reads.


Seriously. Union Square was a complete mystery to me; I tried it in half a dozen pipes, two tins worth. Yawn x 2.

If you liked the Compton's MacMix you will make friends with SH20th Anni Imported (make sure you get the right one). If you are underwhelmed I'll buy the open can from you.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

WWhermit said:


> Here goes Mr. Moo again.
> 
> WWhermit
> ipe:


Sigh. I'm hopeless.


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

All of the McClelland Grand Orientals are worthy of trying. Not everyone will be to your liking, but you will not know until you try them!


Grand Orientals: Black Sea Sokhoum 
Grand Orientals: Classic Samsun 
Grand Orientals: Drama Reserve
Grand Orientals: Katerini Classic 
Grand Orientals: Smyrna No. 1 
Grand Orientals: Yenice Agonya 
Grand Orientals: Yenidje Highlander 
Grand Orientals: Yenidje Supreme


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## WWhermit (Nov 30, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> Sigh. I'm hopeless.


Not so much. We'll keep ya around a bit, see what evolves. oke:

WWhermit
ipe:


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> Seriously. Union Square was a complete mystery to me; I tried it in half a dozen pipes, two tins worth. Yawn x 2.
> 
> If you liked the Compton's MacMix you will make friends with SH20th Anni Imported (make sure you get the right one). If you are underwhelmed I'll buy the open can from you.


Agreed. No offense intended to lovers of US or Pease, but it did nothing for me. Bland.

Now that's a deal! Won't hold you to it, but it's still a nice offer. I used to visit SH years ago and I'm surprised I never tried it. has it been around long?


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

dmkerr said:


> Agreed. No offense intended to lovers of US or Pease, but it did nothing for me. Bland.
> 
> Now that's a deal! Won't hold you to it, but it's still a nice offer. I used to visit SH years ago and I'm surprised I never tried it. has it been around long?


Very on topic, this. I have never tried SH "Our Best Blend" and english wankers in the know say it's great. If you want to get an 8-oz. can of OBB and send me half I'll return you half a can of 20th Anni Import. Thus we can each try something new and, herein, review more world class english blends for this borderline nearly-fascinating thread.

Fair dinkum?


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## Requiem (Dec 6, 2008)

I'm still to smoke a latakia blend that I don´t enjoy, although FMOTT is not much to my liking... Old Dublin, Black Mallory, Dunhill Standard Mixture, Squadron Leader, Vintage Syrian, it's all great stuff but my favorite is Erinmore Balkan Mixture. I find it similar to Westminster and also to Abingdon, somewhere in between those two, but more complex and rounder in taste. The virginias in it are very sweet and the orientals are really, really spicy... I also find that balkans tend to be very dry on the palate and kind of harsh on the throat, while EMB is not that much.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Requiem said:


> ...I also find that balkans tend to be very dry on the palate and kind of harsh on the throat, while EMB is not that much.


Defining the difference between english, oriental and balkan is kind of like sliding down a razorblade; it's about as hard as saying what is "an" aromatic and what is just plain aromatic.

I guess we say balkan when there is latakia present and a turkish componant dominates. Is that what we say? Do we?

There are turkish tobaccos and then there are turkish tobaccos and what makes them different is not hardly my area of expertise but, when it says "balkan" I usually smoke some and then say, "I think I prefer orientals."

Here is a lucid professional Red Rap digression regarding "What IS an oriental" from Ron at Iwan Ries:

"Quoting Ron Carroll <[email protected]>:

_ Mr. Nathan,_
_ Your question illustrates the issue of using generic terms like 
"English" and "Aromatic" in pipe tobacco. While every pipe tobacco 
is "aromatic" in the sense of webster's definition "of, relating to, 
or having aroma: a : fragrant b : having a strong smell c : having a 
distinctive quality ." That tells us nothing about what someone 
means when they say "Aromatic tobacco," in which case they usually 
mean flavored in some way. Though, again, what that specifically 
means varies from blender to blender._

_ Now, as to "English" mixtures. The traditional meaning of "English" 
is any blend with Latakia. In this way, Red Rapparee is most 
definitely an English mixture. Further, usuing traditional 
terminology RR is listed as a "Medium English Mixture." Medium here 
referring to a lesser amount of Latakia, as opposed to a "Full 
English Mixture" (which would have Latakia as a dominant component). 
_
_"Oriental" mixtures are typically any blend that has a dominant 
Oriental presence (which, again, can include Latakia, as it is 
technically an Oriental, but fire cured rather than air cured)._
_ So, the short answer is, I would personally classify RR as an 
Oriental, as it is a Virginia based blend with a heavy dose of 
Orientals (which happens to include a smattering of Latakia). But, 
that being said, Rattray is correct to classify it as a "Medium 
English Mixture." Thankfully, the world of tobacco is more than mere 
classification... the blurring of boundaries can provide wonderful 
treats. I have recently been experimenting with adding Latakia and 
Orientals to a variety of traditional aromatics. Never was much of 
an aromatic fan, myself, but have stumbled across some sublime 
"Crossover" blends."_


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

That's good info Moo


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

Add these to the list: C&D Odessa and McClelland 5125 Coyote Classic


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